SEDER NASHIM
Seder Nashim is a discussion series for women only focusing on topics that touch us all, including infertility, loss, being single in the Orthodox community, and much more. We encourage you to come and listen to the stories of others and to participate by sharing your own experiences. Classes are scheduled for various shabbatot throughout the year. Discussion take place at members’ homes. Please see the seat announcements for location and speakers.
For information, please contact Shana Fishman at:
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September 12: The Modern Jewish Woman & Infertility
For so many women, having a baby seems so easy. So easy, in fact, that it seems like an inalienable right. So you plan for the right time, and you try. But then two weeks later, there's no positive test. Two weeks turns into two months, two months into two years, and you start to feel desperate. You begin to wonder what's wrong with you. Suddenly, you feel like people are starting to wonder why you don't have kids. They stop inviting you to meals, stop talking to you about their own children. What do you do when it seems that everyone around you is pregnant? How do you cope at shul when you secretly resent your best friends or your sister because they have the one thing that you may never get? Can you be angry at G-d? How far do you go with infertility treatments? This session is not just for people who suffer with infertility. It's also for the friends and family members who want to know what to say when there doesn't seem to be anything to say, how to respond, and whether to bring it up in the first place.
October 24: The Modern Jewish Woman & Taharat HaMishpacha
Many orthodox women have a complex relationship with Taharat HaMishpacha and mikvah night in particular. While many find it a beautiful, revitalizing, empowering mitzvah, others find it onerous, while nevertheless continuing to observe it. Whether a woman finds herself picking a fight with her spouse on mikvah night, love the mikvah and its preparation, or recalls a memorable mikvah experience, this session will host a discussion of the positive and negative elements of Taharat HaMishpacha observance and the many angles from which women approach one of their singular mitzvot.
March 13: The Modern Jewish Woman & Loss
Expecting a baby is one of the most exciting times in a woman’s life. But when the unexpected happens and a pregnancy ends in miscarriage or stillbirth, or when an infant dies, couples and communities are thrown into emotional turmoil. Join us as we hear from women of our community who will share their stories of loss. Learn how Judaism addresses these issues and how we may console and support these families.
April 24: The Modern Jewish Woman: Unmarried & Orthodox
So much of our community life centers about the nuclear family. But, what if you didn't get married at 25 and have 3 kids? What if your marriage ended in divorce or you are a widow? When life happens, how does your role within the community change? Is there a role within an orthodox community for a woman who has never married? In this session, we'll hear from women whose lives haven't followed the traditional path. We'll learn how they view our community as well as how they view themselves within the BDJ family. Are we being inclusive or exclusive?
May 8: The Modern Jewish Woman & Post-Partum Issues
Having a baby should be among the most joyful times in your life. Unfortunately, there are sometimes many barriers to this period. Hormonal changes, the birth of your child not going exactly as you planned, trauma. All of these things can set a woman off into a scary place. Come hear from women in our community who have suffered from Postpartum Depression (a hormonal or mood change that happens sometimes even following a miscarriage or an adoption), Post-Traumatic Stress, and other issues that affect the body and mind following childbirth. In this intimate session, we'll give faces, names, and, best of all, community to one of the loneliest and more difficult afflictions a woman can experience.
Shabbat afternoons, May to August (Various Locations)
Every summer, when Shabbat gets long and people get hungry around 5 pm for Torah and food, B’nai David offers the best thing to happen to summer Shabbat since Matan Torah: Nosh & Drosh! Join us for lively discussions and lectures on provocative and important topics of the day with noted Rabbis and scholars from around our community, as B’nai David’s members open their houses to host these sumptuous Shabbat hoe-downs. If you are interested in hosting or leading one, or if you know someone who you think should, please send email to the BDJ education committee.
For more information, please contact Gail Katz at:
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LEARNING AT SEUDA SHLISHEET
This year at Seuda Shlisheet, we’ll be returning to the responsa of Rav Moshe Feinstein, this time focusing on the sections of Choshen Mishpat and Even Ha’ezer. We’ll break twice during the year for special mini-series.
For more information, please contact Gail Katz at:
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My Favorite Sefer
Whenever an occasion arises to give a dvar Torah, we tend to scramble to find good material to utilize. On select weeks in December and January, various shul members will present their favorite resources and books, enriching all of our future dvar Torah-ing endeavors.
Who were the Rishonim?
During Seudah Shlisheet in March, come and meet the Rishonim, the leading Rabbis who lived during the 11th to 15th centuries. Each week we’ll profile a different member of this distinguished class, placing their scholarly work in the context of their time and place. Come meet the Rabbis who shaped our people and our halacha as we know them today!